AANA Journal Course:Update for Nurse Anesthetists – Medical gases, hospital pipelines, and medical gas cylindersBy CAPT William Clayton Petty, MD, USN, MCIn this AANA Journal course, the author documents incidents of near hits and deaths of patients from pipeline and gas cylinder use and describes the key role that anesthesia and healthcare personnel play in verifying the integrity of gases used and the systems which deliver them. Print version: 1995;63(4):307-324.Keywords: Hospital pipelines, medical gas cylinders, medical gas.

The intraoperative use of Amicar® to reduce bleeding associated with open heart surgeryBy Ann E. Aprile, CRNA, MSNThis original research was designed to determine whether the perioperative administration of Amicar during coronary artery bypass grafting for acquired heart disease was associated with a significant reduction in postoperative bleeding as determined by reduced chest tube bleeding and subsequent reduction in transfused blood products. Print version: 1995;63(4):325-331.Keywords: Amicar® (epsilon aminocaproic acid), coagulation pathway, fibrinolysis.

Anesthesia for scoliosis: Dwarfism and congenitally absent odontoid processBy William Roberts, CRNA, MD, PhD Lindsey C. Henson, MD, PhDPatients with congenitally short stature may present a variety of challenges to the anesthetist. A patient with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita complicated by the absence of the odontoid process and severe scoliosis is presented in this case report. In addition, the authors discuss pulmonary complications of dwarfism, airway management, and somatosensory evoked potentials.Print version: 1995;63(4):332-337.Keywords: Odontoid hypoplasia, scoliosis, spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita.